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Reps. Meeks, Cummings, and Pallone Lead Request for GAO Investigation into Fraudulent Identities Submitted to FCC

December 5, 2017

Press Release

Reps. Meeks, Cummings, and Pallone Lead Request for GAO Investigation into Fraudulent Identities Submitted to FCC

Washington, D.C.—Congressmen Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07), and Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) led six other Democrats in sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting that it investigate and issue a report that uncovers the extent that outside groups were using false identities during the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) recent net neutrality rulemaking process. The letter also requests that GAO examine whether this shady practice extends to other agency rulemaking processes. Reps. Cummings and Pallone are the Ranking Members of the Oversight and Government Reform and Energy and Commerce Committees respectively. Other Democrats who signed on to the letter include Reps. Eliot L. Engel (NY-16), Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Nydia Velasquez (NY-07), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Elizabeth Etsy (CT-05), and Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08).

“We understand that the FCC’s rulemaking process requires it to address all comments it receives, regardless of who submits them,” the Members wrote. “However, we do not believe any outside parties should be permitted to generate any comments to any federal governmental entity using information it knows to be false, such as the identities of those submitting the comments.”